#lienna

Cassius follows the god of death to an outdoor meeting area, still trying to figure out how to feel about the realm of the dead. A lot of it looked like his own world, but different. Just different enough to feel wrong. Sill, some part of his being felt at home. 

Probably the part of him that recognized himself as a child of Death. Or Klandox if he wanted to be precise. The god had shown no objection to Cassius’s preference of referring to him by the common name used by those in Korvys. 

“Why are we going to an outdoor meeting area?” he asks.

“Because my palace is warded to prevent other gods from translocating into it from the moral plane,” Death answers as if this explains everything. 

“Please tell me, you’re not expecting me to entertain visits from other gods,” Cassius groans.

“No,” Death shakes his head. “Most of the other gods remain unaware I have a demigod child, and I prefer to keep it that way, until my war with the king of the gods comes to an end.”

Everytime Cassius thinks he has come to grips with finding out his father is the ruler of the realm of the dead, the ancient deity does something to send him reeling again. Just how ancient or powerful a god does one have to be to have no qualms with starting a war against the king of the gods. 

“Then why…” he doesn’t even know how to finish his question. Instead, he rails his fingers against his neck to check if he was still bleeding. He escaped death, by translocation to the realm of the dead, but it hadn’t saved him from the wound he incurred earlier in the battle.  

“I asked Calixramos to bring the rest of your company here when the battle concludes. I assumed you would wish to see them.”

“We’ve been speaking for at least half an hour, are they really still fighting?”

“No, all of those who ambushed your party have followed you to my realm, but unlike you they took the traditional route to get here.”

“Meaning they’re all dead?”

“Yes,” the god answers with a shrug, long silver hair falling over his shoulders with the motion. “Fear not, none of your friends joined them on the trip to my realm.”

“Then why aren’t they here,” Cassius demands.

“If you wish for someone to have the answers to your every question, you are speaking to the wrong god,” Death informs him. “I am only omniscient concerning the events of my own realm.”

“So we just have to wait for them to appear?”

“Yes, although I will know the second they arrive. The only souls who reside here are myself, my guards, and the dead. Whenever a living soul breaches the limits of my realm, I am immediately informed.”

“You must be lonely then,” he remarks, suddenly seeing the god as a person for the first time.

Death shrugs. “It was never intended to be this way, we made the five realms to be connected and traversed. To be banished here only to interact with my brethren when they deign to visit me is a life I struggle to accept, especially when my wife is forbidden entry.”

“The legends never say anything about you being married,” Cassius mentions.

“I am unsurprised,” Death admits. “It has been decades since I last saw her, and millennia since we last dwelled together.”

“How did you see her last time if you’re bound here?”

“Eclistra offered to obscure me from the king’s sight, and Calixramos brought me across the realms with him. While I cannot leave of my own power, another god can lend me theirs to traverse the realms.”

“I see. I can’t imagine spending a decade away from Lienna, much less a millennium,” Cassius confesses. No wonder Death was willing to start a war between all of the gods, he must be desperate to see his wife again. Maybe it wasn't fair to ascribe human emotions to a god, especially one as ancient as Klandox, but if Cassius’s father was anything like him, then he’d be desperate to have his wife back. 

“No, but you can only conceive of time in the mortal sense,” Death tells him in a tone that reminds him of an adult talking to a small child.  “Still, I understand your meaning, and even for me it is difficult.”

“Perhaps I was wrong to say there is none of you in me,” Cassius states, trying to find the words to relate to his father. 

Death places a hand on his shoulder, “It shall have to wait, for there is someone else who desperately requires your attention.”

Cassius frowns in confusion, until he hears the sound of his own name called in a voice lovelier than song. He barely finishes turning around before a woman crashes into his chest, her legs wrapped around his waist. He instinctually catches her, and pulls her closer. 

“Li-” he doesn’ even finish saying her name, before she’s pressing her lips against his. 

He tightens his hold around her waist, and snakes his other hand up her back to tangle his fingers in her silky black hair. She cups the back of his neck in one hand while the other is gripping his shirt like it’s a lifeline keeping her from being swallowed by the ocean. 

He leans away to catch his breath, and she presses her forehead against his. Cassius smiles, taking the opportunity to rub their noses together vaguely aware of the rest of their party as well as his father watching them. Lienna remains wrapped around his torso, nuzzling his neck, while he takes a moment to look over at the others. 

Their godly guide, Calixtramos, was standing next to Death, whispering what Cassius assumed to be an excuse for why they took so long returning. The rest sood a few feet back, in what was either discomfort with Lienna’s affection or an attempt to give her and Cassius space. 

Cassius attempts to set down Lienna, only for her to cling tighter. “Lienna, let me greet the others, for a minute.”

“No. I’m not done holding you.”

“You can hold me all night, bu I need to check in and find out how the battle ended.” Normally, Lienna would be his first choice for tha, but with her like this, he assumed Eusace would have beer answers for him. 

“I watched you get pushed off a cliff, managed to get here in time to catch you, only for you to intentionally let go and fall into a portal to the realm of the dead!” Cassius winces at her raised voice, especially when he hears it waver. “Do you know how hard that is? I watched you fall into Narixon!” This time she smacks a hand into his shoulder, but Cassius can’t bring himself to be upset. “Cal assured me you were fine, but I needed to see you to know.”

“Um, Lienna,” the first of their friends brave enough to interrupt speaks, her voice soft like one speaking to a wild animal. The look his lover gives the priestess is enough to make her stutter. “I- um was wondering if you might release Cassius. Only for a moment, I just want to inspect his wound.” 

“It’s really not bad Lairyn, just a scratch,” Cassius explains.

“Oh, I’m sure you want to inspect something,” Lienna snorts, tightening her grip on Cassius. 

“Uh, yes, the wound,” Lairyn agrees, pointing at Cassius’s neck. Cassius has to hold back a laugh at the cleric’s confusion. 

Cassius disangles himself from Lienna, and she steps aside keeping a close eye on Lairyn who takes a cursory glance at his wound. She digs into her pouch and pulls out a tiny jar with an ugly green paste. She dips two fingers in and has to stand on her toes to reach his neck, he bends his knees a bit to make it easier for her to reach. 

“If you’re done, I believe it is time for our meeting,” Death orders the group, gesturing to the seating arranged on the stone area in the midst of the garden of dead plants.

Everyone takes their seats while Death attempts to give the group their next task, but Cassius isn’t paying attention. Instead, he pulls Lienna into his lap and nuzzles her neck, happy to be reunited. He places a couple small pecks against the crook of her neck. 

“You are aware that I am speaking,” Death chastises.